**Acknowledgements**

Industrial, Verte: Andrade Sugar and Alcohol); Odebrecht Agroindustrial (Morro Vermelho); Adecoagro (Ivinhema Valley); São Martinho Group (São Martinho and Santa Cruz); Alto Alegre (Junqueira); Companhia Mineira de Açúcar e Álcool (Vale do Tijuco); Serra Grande Group (Serra Grande); Nardini Agroindustrial (Nardini); Not having renewed: Adecoagro (Angelica;); Bunge (Guariroba); Odebrecht Agroindustrial (Alcidia); Raízen (Bom Retiro);

In addition to the progress made in relation to the Bonsucro certification, in 2017, the agroenvironmental protocol, cited and signed by all four cases, completed 10 years. This protocol was updated, and the main goals are still the end of sugarcane burning; the recovery of forests in springs and the protection of the preservation areas of other watercourses; and adoption of a series of management practices to guarantee sustainability in its production chain. By the year 2022, the plants expect to have completed the process of restoration of all these areas.

As general results for Brazil, we have that 97.5% of the sugarcane area of the State of São Paulo is mechanically harvested and the practice of burning is not applied. This means that since

56 million tonnes of atmospheric pollutants (carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and hydrocarbons) are not emitted to the atmosphere. The sugarcane-ethanol sector in the State of São Paulo accumulates an asset of 3747 harvesters (between own and outsourced), while in the 2007/2008 harvest, the total was 753. More than 200,000 ha of riparian areas and 8230 springs were protected and recovered; 60% of the signatory plants have forest restoration programs for their sugarcane suppliers; since 2010, the ethanol plants have reduced water consumption

In the last harvest (2016/2017), 131 mills and 25 associations of sugarcane suppliers received the Green Ethanol Certificate as a result of compliance with these actions. These signatories are responsible for approximately 95% of the sugarcane production in São Paulo and 47% of

Considering the proposed objectives, to identify and understand the indicators of the Bonsucro certification and the European Union Directive 28/2009, these were achieved when

Based on the results obtained, regarding the Bonsucro certification and EU Directive 28/2009, we can conclude that none of the plants studied, by 2012, could receive the Bonsucro seal, although some of them present high levels of attendance. Case 3 declared 77% of criteria

The fact that none of the plants studied could receive this certification, and the variability between them, called for considerable attention, leading to the belief that all the ethanol plants in the sector, in Minas Gerais state, had followed the same rhythm, being none of them, by

describing the criteria, adapting, and using them as a basis for the research.

attendance, despite the external agent declared that it has 38% of attendance.

eq. and more than

the beginning of the Protocol (2007), more than 9.27 million tonnes of CO<sup>2</sup>

Renuka (Equipav); São Martinho Group (Iracema);

44 Sugarcane - Technology and Research

by 40% for industrial processing, due to reuse system.

the national ethanol production [39].

**4. Conclusion**

2012, able to get this stamp.

We acknowledge the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – CNPq for their financial support.
